From: Vancouver Observer
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| Anne Brown, who lives near the Industrial Heartland of Alberta, refuses to leave her home. She poses on their porch with her son Kristian, 16. Submitted photo from Anne Brown |
Locals living close to oil and gas projects in what is known as Alberta’s Industrial Heartland are not surprised that a recent study found that chemicals in the air cause blood-related cancers.
“There’s many people that have been diagnosed with cancer. Many of them have left. Some of them have died,” said Anne Brown, who lives in the Riverside Park subdivision, near Fort Saskatchewan, one of four counties part of the Industrial Heartland.
The Nobel prize-winning chemistry department of the University of California in Irvine conducted the study. It found 77 volatile pollutants in the air, including carcinogens. Leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma among men “stood out statistically,” said Isobel Simpson, one of the chemists involved in the study.
Simpson said she can only speculate that the blood-related cancers were prevalent in men because they might have worked in the industries.
The industrial area includes 582 km2 space where more than 40 chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas facilities have been established since the 1950s. Sometimes referred to as “Upgrader Alley,” it is the largest hydrocarbon processing area in Canada and is located about 30 km northeast of Edmonton.
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“There’s many people that have been diagnosed with cancer. Many of them have left. Some of them have died,” said Anne Brown, who lives in the Riverside Park subdivision, near Fort Saskatchewan, one of four counties part of the Industrial Heartland.
The Nobel prize-winning chemistry department of the University of California in Irvine conducted the study. It found 77 volatile pollutants in the air, including carcinogens. Leukaemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma among men “stood out statistically,” said Isobel Simpson, one of the chemists involved in the study.
Simpson said she can only speculate that the blood-related cancers were prevalent in men because they might have worked in the industries.
The industrial area includes 582 km2 space where more than 40 chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas facilities have been established since the 1950s. Sometimes referred to as “Upgrader Alley,” it is the largest hydrocarbon processing area in Canada and is located about 30 km northeast of Edmonton.
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